Triathletes in Peach Classic

A handful of local triathletes took part in the 2008 IG Peach
Classic Triathlon in Penticton Sunday, July 20, an Olympic distance event with
a 1,500 metre swim, 40 km bike and 10 km run.

At the top of the class, in 75
th
overall and second
in the men’s 60 to 64 age category, was Greg Sandkuhl. He finished the course
in 2:29:08, boosted by the 45
th
fastest swim time of the day.

Christine Suter was 89
th
overall, 14
th
out of 151 women, and fourth in the women’s 40 to 44 age category with a time
of 2:23:29.

Karen Kafkova was 17
th
in the women’s 30 to 34 race
in 3:16:52.

As well as the triathlon, local runners also took part in the
annual Diva on the Run women’s 10 km race in Vancouver over the weekend.

Kate Linton was 20
th
overall and second in women’s
35 to 39 in 57:34.

Kari Gaudet was 10
th
in women’s 30 to 34 in 59:23.

In the Kitsilano Challenge open water swim on the weekend,
Whistler’s Megan Wastle was first in the women’s 1,500 metre race in the 30 to
34 age category in 25:27. Danny Ng was third in men’s 30 to 34 in 31:00.

Tougher end for Gearjammer

Already the toughest race in the Squamish Triple Crown, the
annual Squamish Gearjammer got a little more challenging this week with a
change to the course that adds more singletrack.

“We want to make the final kilometre as good as the rest of the
race,” explained race director Curtis Roberts. “We haven’t really been happy
with the end of the race through the Smoke Bluffs Park and along Loggers’
Lane.”

The new route will drop riders from Plateau Drive, behind the
Valleycliffe General Store, and back up to Hospital Hill, through the gully and
around the Mamquam Blind Channel. The route change required the approval of
private landowners, who agreed to let the event go through their property.

The GearJammer takes place Saturday, July 26, on a challenging
47 km course around Squamish. Although it’s about 20 km shorter than the Test
of Metal, it takes almost as much time to race.